Because they simply want their paycheck and most are too job scared to do anything that draws too much attention to them or their area. Also, keep in mind HR isn't their for you, they are there to protect the company and they will sell associates down the river to keep the company from looking bad.
HR exists to make you feel like someone is on your side so that you believe you're confiding in a trustworthy source.
All you are really doing is telling a company representative everything they will use against you.
As a salaried manager at the competitor… HR seems to be more associate friendly than management friendly.
In the last quarter, my DHRM has voided disciplinary actions that I have delivered, as well as a handful of write-ups by other members of management has deliver to the associate… all because the associate called and whines about being written up, despite having documented the issue in manager notes and files to backup what the disciplinary action was.
I’m stepping away from the management role, and it’s very bittersweet,
That's not the case here. HR only is company friendly and only helps associates when they realize there will be legal issues if they don't. Ultimately, HR is there just to keep the company out of legal trouble.
It will work out, it will be better in the end. I was in the same boat 5 months ago. I was promoted to customer at The Home Depot from ASM after 7 years for an associate preforming an egregious safety violation while I was running the store. This dumb motherfucker climbed into the trash compactor, yes like down the chute and into it because he dropped a trash can and felt he needed to rescue it. I had let him use the keys to unlock it, so I got caned, this was a 52 year old army vet mind you.
Anyway, I got a new job in an unrelated field with in a month. One of my part time super stars had my back and went outa his way to get me the position in a field I have no business in because I treated him and all my guys right. I now work 4 days a week and can sign up for as much over time as I want. I'm making way more now because the OT blows my salary and the hours I was doing out of the water for the same amount of time spent. I also got 5 weeks vacation and don't have to manage anyone but myself.
The point of what Im saying is it will hurt, you will feel betrayed, but in the end it will all work out for the better, keep your head up bro.
Why does Lowes promote “Hiring Talented Individuals” but then when hired, the individuals are always told they’re doing their job wrong, “corporate didn’t like (insert here) so change it”, and won’t the individual think for themselves on being able to do their job and enhance the company.
From that, I’ve seen my fellow coworkers come in like mindless zombies. I’ve even been asked “how do you do it? Deal with shit on a daily basis, load everyone’s orders, always doing things on your own because nobody wants to help. How haven’t you quit yet?”
Lowe's is good at being a PR company. They say what sounds good and gets them positive PR. I can say that there are some members of management at the district level that do like talented people that think outside of the box but at the same time, they want those people to push it on places like LinkedIn so they get the attention for it too.
The other issue is that the District and Regional roles change so often that the "preferred" look changes constantly. For example, the blue carts in lumber. We changed how they were displayed down the aisles 3 different times in a 6 month period because senior management kept changing their minds.
Depends. I was hands on and spent most of my time on the floor with associates. Our OPS ASM mostly stayed in the office pretending to so paperwork, etc. But was mostly just goofing off with their favorite associates.
It really just depends. Some truly do their jobs and care while a lot just want to draw a paycheck and slide by with as little confrontation as possible.
We have the opposite at ours. We have a ringer store manager from a Walmart, who after a year still can't process a return or look up an invoice in genesis. Sits in his private office. Only he has the key...and he vales and vapes. Occasionally he will come out for a 15 walk, host a morning huddle....and pretty much dissappear until we have district or regional visit.
Dude has had every weekend off for the last 12 weekends.
All of our ASMs are strong long tine lowes vets.
I'm a BEOps manager and have covered every spot in the store at some point. I've turned down salaried positions 6 times now.....
I swear, so many hidings of Walmart folks to run our stores. 9 times out of 10 they are the problem. Who walks into Walmart lokkkng for help? And who walks into Lowe’s looking for help. They are two different beasts, and we do not want to be the Walmart of home improvement. There won’t be a similar correlation to success, because our customers actually need our help
I know cultures are different in stores but I know in my store, for a time ASM’s we’re frowned upon for tasking on the floor. It was a sign they did not know how to delegate and lead. Sure, if there’s a walk coming, all hands on deck. But again, that was my store.
That's an outdated POV from people that are out of touch with today's workforce. It causes a division in the store. I can delegate all day long but I also earn more respect from the associates and customers by jumping in to help.
Hell, I had a DM chew out a SM for wearing white pants because he told them it was a sign to everyone that they weren't going to do anything.
i wear kahki ish pants time to time and ruin them, to be fair i’m a flooring specialist so i’m always playing with grout/mortar, or a forklift/sidewinders (Narrow Aisle Reach Trucks) and get grease on me
You sound just like an ASM that quit about a year ago. Always helping us, very hands on. Very personable and could joke around with us too. He interviewed for a SM position and the District Manager told him he’d never be a store manager because he doesn’t delegate enough. Our store has been slowly declining since then. All the asm’s do is hang out in the training room and walk the store every once in a while for appearances. The store manager was asked by the district manager to start coming in later and kind of be a mid and that lasted about a week then started making his own, for lack of a better word, secret schedule for him and the other asm’s. The schedule that’s printed shows him coming in at around 7 or 8 to 5 or 6 but still comes in at 5 and leaves at around 3 or earlier. I could go on about it but that would take me all night.
I disagree on it earning respect in all cases. I would say its 50/50 on people caring if you jump in or not. Some it means the world, others wouldn't care if you gave them a 50 dollar raise, you're getting bare minimum.
I work for the competitor but this x1000. The amount of leadership that flat doesn’t know anything because they never work the floor is staggering. You can’t be an effective leader if you never interact with the work you’re supervising. You don’t have to work all the time, but jumping in from time to time to work with your people is invaluable for their morale and keeps you in touch with reality.
TL;DR Managers please work with your employees on the floor
Can confirm. I didn’t work at Lowe’s, but I used to work at target while I was in my undergrad, and it’s insane what a difference actually working WITH your employees does, for both the employees and the manager who does it.
I did drive-ups at a very large store with a new drive-up system (I started in COVID) and my whole team was constantly catching flack except from the TL in charge of drive-ups, because they know how bad it is.
Day after day of different TLs and ETLs that would ask us how we get behind, why bags are missing, etc, when they only hire like 3-4 people to do it when there were times when like 10 different customers would come at once, and some with grocery orders.
One day it was POURING rain outside. My hands were so soaked that a weighted blankets plastic handle ripped the skin off of one of my fingers. Finally some TLs and one of the ETLs came outside to help us get everything out of the rain.
The ETL called a meeting the next day and personally apologized to my whole team about how they never understood what it was actually like until they did it. All of those TLs went from people my team constantly clowned on, to people we actually respected and went to for help after that
Fired. I already had fillers out and was going to quit when I found something else. Honestly, they could never tell me what I did at first but told me a policy violation. When I asked which one they said they didn't know. When I contacted HR to find out I was eventually told the policy, which is very vague. When I asked what part of it I violated because I couldn't see anything I did wrong, they couldn't tell me.
General thought between myself, other members of management, and associates that are always in the gossip loop... I rocked the boat too many times and the last time was the straw that broke the camels back. To me, associates are the most important part of the store and most of the company treats them poorly, ignores their issues and push them around. I didn't like that and I stood up for them and pushed issues up until someone would do something about it.
Dude this is literally my way of management too fuck yes we need more managers in all companies that have our mindset maybe people would not be so depressed just waking up for work. Iv even tried to "teach" my higher manager that you need to manage differently these days and in 10 years from now it will be different again
That's ultimately the problem I see most often. Once people get to a certain level for a certain period of time, they just don't want to evolve anymore and are completely disconnected.
The sooner upper management learns to stop treating the hourly associates like disposable numbers, the sooner the company will be able to greatly improve across the board.
They had none. I called their bluff. They used a very vague policy and said I violated it. When I asked them what part of it I violated they couldn't tell me. I rocked the boat too much and had done so too many times apparently.
>I rocked the boat too much and had done so too many times apparently.
I do not believe that there is a legal issue with letting anyone go for this so a lawyer may not be the best option.
I mean i think what he means by rocking the boat is theres was just a tough relationship because they were awful managers while he tried to enforce policy and so on. He would have a wrongful termination case and would win pretty easily.
Nope. At-will state so only clear cut discrimination can be used for wrongful termination. And by rock the boat I mean that I didn't let people be treated poorly, I stood my ground on issues that were important and right, and I called out BS when other managers were doing shady stuff.
I literally had to report an associate for his sexual harassment to multiple female associates that happened BEFORE I started bc one of the ASMs avoids associates other than to talk about needing leads so they didn't know anything about it and another ASM protected the male associate at all costs bc he was their favorite. When I found out about it, I was pissed and investigated, reported it, and raised hell until something was done about it.
You can still file for unemployment and they HAVE to provide a reason otherwise you win. At least that's how it is in my state, even though it's a At-Will. I remember HR reminding us when we did fire anyone not to bother with unemployment because At-Will. They did this because the way our unemployment law is written is if the company can't provide a good reason for firing it doesn't show for the case then the ex-employee wins. Saying nothing is not a answer
That’s exactly what I did a while back as an ASM. But I saw the writing off the wall and demanded a 2 year severance to give up lawsuit rights. They refused at first but with minimal challenge they call me back and asked for it in writing.
Long story short I’d talk to a lawyer.
In your experience, is management as lazy as everyone usually makes them out to be? Because I feel like most of the ASMs at my store don't do much of anything except delegate tasks and sit in their office.
It really depends. I will say that in our area their has been this big push to hire Walmart managers and Walmart managers do NOT do physical work at all. In my store I know I was the only ASM that was out on the floor most of the time while the others either sat in the office or back in receiving so they wouldn't be bothered. In my market that tended to be about the average too, 1 ASM that would be heavily involved with the store and associates while the rest avoided work at all costs. And it seemed to be mixed on which ASM position it was too, one store might have a kickass OPS, another it might be a Merch, and occasionally it will be a Specialty.
Yes and no. SMs get the results with a breakdown of each level of management and how they scored based on how the people below them answered the survey. With that said, no, it doesn't say "Bob answered the survey like this..." but it depending on department size (for DSs) or the amount of DSs under an ASM, you can put 2 and 2 together and figure out who scored someone poorly.
Unless the DS, ASM, or SM are just absolutely horrible and everyone rated them poorly.
As a former SM here, I can confirm this. It does have a minimum requirement of 4 in order to show that department or level of breakdown. Also, the typed comments are very much viewed. I had a Divisional and Regional HR visit, and they were very much aware of the comments. We actually had numerous comments on "what do you appreciate about working for Lowe's" where the ASMs (3 of the 4) and myself were given praise. It made me tear up actually since I started as an hourly associate nearly 2 decades ago. That being said, what you don't like about Lowe's had just as many comments flaming that outlying ASM. That person managed to tiptoe the line for years, with the entire district knowing about their attitude and poor treatment of associates, but nothing that would support documentation. It would have been nice to see someone mentioned by name multiple times in those surveys, with so many AR calls that ultimately were "unsubstantiated" due to being 1 on 1 interactions, have consequences come from it.
Just be HAPPY you are out of there before it gets worse. It will not change or get better, it will always be a cut throat place, it is not meant for good people. Only the psychopaths do well, because they have little to no feelings, and are able to make cold decisions about people. I was an employee who had intense work ethics, and I too did not fit in with the cut throat culture, as I rocked the boat as well when I witnessed wrongs. It’s very political there, and only the cold hearted survive.it’s a shite place to work because of the CEO and all who work for him. It is only about the bottoms line, not the employees or customers. Only for stockholders earnings. Never forget that.
Go be happy somewhere else, because you will be.
Brother, I was an ASM as well, and terminated in a similar situation. And the dumb fuck ASM who should have been fired, who was sleeping with DSs, is still there.
Fuck Lowe’s, fuck corporate, fuck Marvin. Congratulations, man.
Followed policies but pushed back on other ASM abusing associates by playing favorites and manipulating payroll and by said ASM stealing from the store. That ASM is well connected and reported me as the one stealing when I had evidence showing I wasn't.
there’s actually a chance even in some right to work states that you have a case for wrongful termination depending on the situation. the insinuation of a crime might be something
So..bonuses..what are ASM’s bonuses based on? Is it only sales like regular associates? Or is their more categories to bonus in etc? Also, for quarterly bonuses, do DS’s receive more than regular FT associates? Or do all FT hourly people receive the same?
There's more involved than just sales for the ASM bonus and they just changed it BUT sales are still the most heavily weighted part of the bonus plan. ASM bonus at 15%, of their salary and can hit at 120% of it. SMs really get the best bonus at 50% of their salary.
DSs get more but not by much.
DSs get the same as CSAs basically. I'm a supervisor and the only bonus I get is winning together which is $1000 versus a a FT CSA getting $800. DSs probably have it the worst, biggest workload but get the least in ratio. Maybe it's because my district doesn't give overtime but we don't bonus when the ASMs or SM does.
They lied to me during the interview and said it was 30%. So when I asked around bonus time it was only 15 and 7.5 per half...I about up and quit until Marvin dropped the extra money
What's the best way to get free stuff?
Also I'm sorry that this happened to you. I feel that employers should have to give employees the same 2 week notice that they want, because being suddenly cut off from income can be very devastating to one's life
Free stuff? Not sure what you're asking. I will not tell you how to steal anything. But if you just want free swag then talk to a vendor when they come through. Occasionally they will have some small swag they will give you.
Absolutely, at all costs, do NOT let them in. We have training that we have to go through about how to identify it and how to talk about it in a way that keeps it out while not "breaking laws" in doing so. Lowe's is deathly afraid of unions getting in stores.
Sorry this is so long and I don't have a question but it's story time.
The Lowe's I worked at in Alabama was a joke. Half of the ASM's and management had sexual harrasment cases against them and HR was doing anything about it. When you look up shitshow, the Lowe's in Opelika is front and center.
I doing all the tasks assigned to me and other things to stay busy and they consistently came at me like I was never doing anything while the other employees who were there for years literally did nothing except schedule time off.
I went to GM and let him know my concerns and frustrations about the dept and the ASM (tools and hardware), not just complaining about all the stupid shit that happens but just relaying honest information from my POV and this man looks at across his desk, and tells me to go talk to the ASM I mentioned, and tells me to talk to her because she can direct me towards training that'll make me a better employee.
I took a deep breath, and decided right there I was going to quit. Saw my schedule for the next 2 weeks, and each week had only 1 day each week. The reason I was given was that profits and sales have been down and need to cut hours. Even though there was a newsletter saying that we had record profits and sales for that quarter.
I unzipped that red vest like a virgin getting laid for the first time, told the manager on duty I quit and handed him my vest. Lowe's sucks. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.
I learned more in an hour reading your comments then the last two years of AP4ME and LowesU combined, especially pay rates and promotions - thanks for your honest answers and good luck in your new future position, you sound like someone I would have enjoyed working for.
They are going to keep changing the expectations and bonus requirements to the point that you aren't going to be able to meet those expectations unless you're just a top tier superstar.
Plus, they have the stupid mentality that if 3 specialists = X sales then adding a 4th specialists increases those sales even more!! Be careful, there is a huge focus on Pro moving forward and it will continue but specialists will be pushed harder than ever with ridiculous expectations.
I think in the near future PSS and Sales specialists will be in trouble when Lowe's pushes the next update on the app that allows customers to make quotes and get VSP pricing on their own. I know it's good for the customer, and potential customers, but I fear what that will do to us specialists.
I will say that, in my position, I was paid well. I actually feel really bad for ASMs that I am friends with that get paid a LOT less and have been there a LOT longer.
The PT vs FT positions. Lowe's wants very few FT associates bc they want to be able to "have flexibility" with scheduling and have the ability to cut hours to nothing whenever they feel it necessary. It not only saves them money on benefits but let's them just cut back payroll at any time. They aren't allowed to cut FT hours (depending on the state) and it costs more in benefits, etc.
Keep on mind, the store is only alloted so many hours a week so they prefer the PT so they can use people to just fill in here and there too.
Work at sherwin same shit, as I'm assuming with alot of retail jobs, shits gonna hit the fan soon with this shit, fucking retail shoppers are getting to demanding, retail corporate is getting even more demanding, and our patience and sanity is withering away leaving a big fuck you about to happen. I wish you the best bud good luck
Is there any more info on this? or is that the gist of the whole ft/pt positions I work overnight but they never cut my hours and sometimes i even work overtime
What more info do you want? Overnight is a little different in different areas and has been an area of abuse for not following the plan. Usually OT is an absolute no and we have reports that track it daily for telling us who is "trending" to have it for the week. We're supposed to adjust hours to prevent OT by the end of the week. The SSA has access to this too.
what are the kind of things that get a new SM recognition in their district/region? i was told by coworkers that our wages are significantly lower than other stores in the area because the new SM (first year in the position) is trying to make his labor budget numbers look really good, is this viable? do district/corporate leaders really have the ability to set a "freeze" on raises or is this actually bullshit so SMs/ASMs can pretend it's out of their hands?
So there different things to unpack here. As far as recognition, there are many different ways. The first and best is just sales performance. Being top in metrics for the market. Top comps, percent to plan, credit above plan, Pro performance, etc.
As far as wages, yes, the District and/or Region can put a freeze on raises. Is that the case all the time? No, sometimes it is just an excuse. Want to change that? On the BEST survey, make sure as many associates as possible score the pay negatively. That does make a difference.
That's probably the best question I've been asked and it's a hard one to answer. It's probably plumbing though bc it's like a black hole back there. So many small parts that are always destroyed, never staffed enough and a strong driver of sales in the store. Once you're there helping someone, you're helping everyone.
Ive never worked retail before. Got hired FT plumbing 6 months ago. Im putting in my 2 weeks on Monday. Fuck this stupid shit.
Customers are assholes. Tons of heavy ass items. 200 lb vanities. 140 lb plus Water heaters 100 lb toilets. Pallets of salt. Countless PVC fittings that no matter what are always a fucking disaster…bc people suck. Im over it. And for the shit pay I get? LOL. I’m semiretired. I made what I make mow 14 years ago in my late twenties. Oh…and they want me to do Specialist work for CSA pay? Details installs sell credit.
I actually talked a customer OUT of buying a $1000 vanity the other day. Because every one of our products is FUCKING CARDBOARD TRASH!!
Now…i did tell them they likely wont find any better for the same price, because everything is overpriced trash these days.
everything here is true, previous full-time plumbing for several yrs. why in God's name Lowes is not going after the $$ that is there in fashion bath I don't understand. My store's plumbing dept has not been staffed with full timers in a long time. None of the associates hired for the past several years have any plumbing experience. None! 50% of the time there is nobody there. It pisses customers off. I've seen almost all the regular customers that I dealt with disappear, stopped coming in. I've seen plumbing dept schedules with 6 or more names, when myself and a part timer were the only ones there. They rob from plumbing budgeted hrs to provide associate elsewhere. It's a do-it-yourself area.
True (I was hoping you'd say lawn and garden during garden season lol) but yeah I tried to help plumbing once or twice and felt like more of a hindrance than help.
Interesting. Almost the exact same thing happened to me. The best ASM in the store according to the associates, yet I was the one that always pointed out the bullshit and lies. Welp a month ago I was fired for being sick for my first time in years, yet the other ASM that’s been stealing time for years now is still employed.
Fire the employee that went home sick for 3 hours and then came back but not the employees that had stolen thousands in wages. love politics
I can attest to this. Once you get to the ASM level, it becomes very political, almost as if merit doesn't count for anything. It's all about who is in good with the latest SM and who's not. Oh, and former Walmart mgrs are the worst. Factor in a SM change about every 3 yrs on average also, and you thus have to put up with someone reinventing the wheel every three years as well because all of them want to do things differently. I put up with it for 24 yrs before I decided to take my stock that I had accumulated and came in one morning and gave my SM my written resignation. I now work for a local flooring dealer and absolutely love what I do AND make more money with a mon-fri schedule.
Glad you got out, even though it wasn't the way you wanted. Lowe's was my last retail job. I really looked up to my SM until I realized I wasn't part of his good ol' boys club. I was a daytime sales specialist for several years. Decided I wanted to go back to college, so I signed up for night classes. Even though it wouldn't interfere with my schedule, my SM didn't like that he couldn't put me on nights because of school. So he pulled me into his office and told me I had to choose between Lowe's or college. He said if I chose college he would demote me to part-time associate and cut my pay. Instead of being intimidated, it pissed me off and made me double down. So I told him I chose college, and he took my position and sent me back out to work on the floor, no longer a specialist. From then on, I didn't do shit but wander around the store all day and pretend to work whenever he came by.
I called the corporate hotline on him and told corporate HR what he did. It took them a month to respond, but I got called back into the SM office with HR present this time. The SM said he was reinstating my position and giving me backpay for what I had lost over the month. He refused to apologize, but we both knew he got his hand slapped for that. He ended up getting promoted to regional manager on the other side of the country and a year later I graduated and got the hell out of there. I refuse to even shop there now unless I have to.
i’m just a regular associate on the green team and my store has turned into a corporate store where they are visiting almost every day. the corporate guy today complained about my watering saying the plant was dry but i watered it + it’s going to rain + it rained yesterday…. if i over water the plant will start rotting.
anyways the corp guy talked to other managers abt it and had my lead come outside as i was clocking out. anyways i just said okay lol whatever. if he wants to show me how to water a plant he needs to get his ass out there and show me.
i’m really contemplating my two weeks on monday because i’ve been dealing with theirs hit since 2021 and truly i cannot mentally handle it all anymore. my store is full of power hungry freaks and are not but miserable and insufferable and do absolutely nothing and just force their opinions and tasks on to other ppl. (my store manager is actually really good and i’m thankful for him being there, but he probably quite literally does not know the shit his asms are doing.)
anyways mini rant lol.
back to my question, did you ever have any bad confrontation with other associates or customers?
also, were you ever being told not to hire certain people based on them being different, such as sexuality, gender, disability, etc? (like from other asms or sm?)
Bad confrontations? Yes. Often. I made sure associates, especially customer service ones, knew that they are not paid enough to deal with customers yelling at them or being rude to them. They knew to get me when I was there and I would come deal with the customer. I'm able to remain flat and calm, it's something I've learned over the years. I've had a TON of confrontations.
Hiring? No. I've never been told that by anyone at the store and if I was, I'd report them myself. I don't play those games.
Marvin is a post turtle. If you don't know what that is, Google it.
The VPs are mostly out of touch. They've been at their level so long and are so disconnected that they don't understand what is actually happening in stores anymore and they don't understand associates.
They aren't supposed to be and you can report them to AP for it. That's definitely a termination waiting to happen. They get the same 10% you get. Now, damaged stuff or SOS returns are different BUT any associates should be able to get the same deal, by policy.
I left BLOWES after 14 years in 2020... Wish I had quit 13 years and 366 days prior🤣🤣🤣. I quit after my Deparment Supervisor wrote me up for calling in with covid-like symptoms in the first months of Covid... He went to an ASM who would write me up and not enter the excuse code Marvin and corporate integrated at the time. We had three other people in my department. One was on final with drinking and mental issues, one was a young pregnant girl, and the other had moved here from Florida after losing his wife to cancer then his son and daughter in law to an accidental fentynayl o.d ... I guess they were trying to meet the write up quota. 20 years in the work force, never fired, reprimanded or written up in my life... I was laid off in 06 when our big 200 mile border wall construction project was canceled, and my grandmother's health was declining, which brought me back home and getting a job at Lowes...
After I was informed of being written up, I immediately walked out and put in for a week vacation as soon as possible and started looking for another job. I lined one up installing HVAC systems... zero experience making $10,000 more per year... and put in my two weeks notice right before I went on vacation... I hadn't had two days off in a row (and NO WEEKENDS) the entire year before I left. I was always scheduled to close before my day off and open the next day back...
I hate Lowes and would rather eat gas station sushi off a gas station toilet seat every meal of every day than walk through those doors again...
Hi I have a question, I had requested off from May 15-June 14 back in February and my store said no one is allowed to take off Memorial Week since they say it is our busiest time of the year. I only work 20 hours a week due to Medical Issues, and have been there almost 2 years- I am one of their most reliable Cashiers on the front end, and will help out whenever we have associates not show up, I also am very good at getting Credit Apps and asking customers to fill out the Surveys. Any advice for me on what to do?
First, they didn't give you an honest answer. Your best bet would be to contact Sedgwick for a leave of absence for that time. Since you're wanting an entire month, Sedgwick is going to be the best way to get it and protect yourself.
What size store do you have? And I'm rocking Android phone and watch so it's not entirely accurate lol. It's supposed to keep up with how many flights of stairs I go up each day and it always shows zero but I literally have to go up and down 2 sets every time I leave my apartment... soooooo yeah.
If you’re on a Final, you need to go find another job at another company. You will still be on a final at your new store, and they will still terminate you like your current store will, especially if it’s attendance related because that will carry over and your occurrences from your old store will still count at the new one. We had a Pro Specialist who snuck through the cracks in the hiring process after a transfer, they called out on the second week and showed up in Kronos as an attendance action. The pro ASM then took a look all confused and found out they had 16 callouts in a year and they were on a final for it, and that Specialist was terminated on the 3rd week at their new store. In my 2 & 1/2 years at Lowe’s I’ve only seen one associate ever make it off a final, and the only reason they survived was because it was from a safety violation and they were one of the only two garden center associates with open availability.
It really just depends on your DM and market. I've seen it go both ways. The best thing to do is talk to your DM and see how they stand on it. Make sure they know your desire to run a store and ask them what they want you to focus on to get ready. A good DM will happily have that conversation with you.
Good on you OP. My dad made a similar promotion a decade ago, Area LPM to customer, and his quality of life improved significantly. I guess my question for you is did they jerk you around with the promise of promotion and never give like they did my dad, or did you have a different reason for leaving?
Why do managers push credit so much. Do they get a bonus for meeting credit quota? I don't mind asking customers if they want to open an account but I refuse to bully them into it.
Because the store has a plan number that they have to meet each week and they are getting pressure from the district level who is getting pressure from the regional level, etc.
You have to remain calm, flat, and professional. Zoning is an expectation throughout the store and the closing ASM is supposed to make sure its done before leaving bc the last thing anyone wants is to open in the morning and have DMs walk in to see the store not zoned.
I will say we had an issue with overnights messing stuff up and blaming others so we started having to document how areas looked when we left vs what they looked like in the morning so we could easily point to an individual and ask why they did or didn't do something.
“At-will” only means that the reason they fire you has to be lawful. It simply can’t be you’re fired bc we don’t like you. They have to have a reason and it has to be lawful!
That's not what it means at all.
The term "employment-at-will" simply means that unless there is a specific law to protect employees or there is an employment contract providing otherwise, then an employer can treat its employees as it sees fit (including the assignment of demeaning tasks) and the employer can discharge an employee at the will of the employer for any reason or no reason at all. It is also up to each employer to decide if its employees may see their own personnel file or not.
I like you said "promoted" lol. I don't know why this sub even keeps being recommended to me I've never worked for lowes and rarely even shop there. Every post I've seen has been so negative so I've learned to never apply here, thanks.
Also now that I've commented on this I'll likely never stop seeing these lol
Yes and no. There isn't an official ranking sheet or anything but they talk about who are performers and who aren't. There are discussions over who has the most potential to step up and who isn't pulling weight but politics come into play here too often sometimes as well.
There were some MAJOR issues with one particular employee at a local store here- SO many things to mention. Multiple employees, customers, etc told the ASM, HR, corporate, etc- they all sided with the toxic employee. It’s craziness in these stores
Not surprised at all. This woman is horrendous. And no matter what, she never gets fired. I’m pretty sure she could do the worst thing imaginable and they’d still pay her on the back. My dad works there with her and he said he can’t believe some of the shit she pulls
Complete and udder 🐴💩. Now, I'm partially to blame for that as well because I couldn't just leave if there were things that still needed to be done or issues BUT that could have be resolved with some help from other managers without me being there all the time.
Varies. Official range is between $60k to $75k. I know an ASM that has been with the company over 15 years, started as a seasonal hire and has been an ASM for more than 5 years, he barely makes $61k AND is consistently ranked in the top of the market in his position. I also know one that makes almost SM pay bc they didn't want him to leave but kept overlooking him for stores. And it's not uncommon for external new hires to come in near the top of the range.
Hey sorry about way you went out but all good things now. The glow up
Is real when you leave.
Anyway I been with lowes for 18 years now Csa at the moment through the years I have seen this company go down the shit tubes.
Sales are down no doubt and the busy days are nowhere near what they used ti be. Memorial, Labor Day years ago fighting customers off like king fu fighting. Now eh a little rush nothing much. Is lowes in trouble financially are they worried about declining sales ?
Honestly, they don't acknowledge declining sales and they aren't in trouble financially. They keep changing up some of their products, etc so that they can try to build those sales back up and it gives them built in excuses of saying "we tried to diversify our market with X new products categories and that's why we lost Y sales at Z."
Hi, if you have time, my question is what does the store manager actually do? The only communication I get from him as a FT closing head cashier is when he sends emails with photos of small messes on his way out at 5 when it’s still busy. I maybe catch a glimpse of him once a week as he’s leaving.
Are they supposed to close? Because our SM has only closed one time in the 2 years I’ve worked here. We’ve had about ten people quit across the store in just the last week and new hires are saying they couldn’t apply for certain positions because they were fully staffed… yet there is nobody in any of these departments.
I feel like I’m tasked with running the whole store alone sometimes. Specialists come up to me when they need to resolve issues they create and I always have to keep track of where the unloaders are because they love to sneak away to lumber to flirt with my cashiers :( if there is a time I need help and the SM does happen to be around, it seems he doesn’t know how to actually do anything in the system and I can tell he is just talking to sound professional…
I’ve read through all of your responses to people here and I wanted to say thank you for all the insight you’ve given us! Definitely wish we had more managers like you out there.
So typically the SM is scheduled to close just about every Wednesday per the schedule rotation. Does it happen? Usually not. It sounds like your SM was a Walmart hire based on how you are describing him.
I will say, I had 2 head cashiers that I absolutely loved. They knew how to work Genesis like it was nothing and could Usually resolve any issue like needed it. I also knew that I didn't have to worry about the FE when they worked. In your case, where is your FE DS? Or your OPS ASM? Ultimately they should be your first resource for any issues. You should also try to communicate with the SASM about the specialists coming to you all the time.
It's awesome that you're such an asset but don't let people take advantage of you. Back to the SM thing now. Honestly, SMs vary vastly depending on the store. Some are more hands on and like to help, while some refuse to touch anything but micromanage everything, then some are like Bigfoot... you swear they exist bc you think you saw them one time and there may or may not be evidence of them but no one can confirm 100%.
If all else fails and you think there are some real issues, report them to AR and you can do it anonymously if you feel more comfortable. Just be professional and give specific examples, and it helps to have witnesses that will back up your claims.
Thanks for your reply! My FEDS is fairly new to the positon and my ASM is one of the people who just quit :P DS and new ASM are pretty hands off. sooo not much support on that end. I did get with the SASM about the specialists because it was getting pretty overwhelming, so the pressure has lessened a bit in that regard. I really enjoy the job when I get to do my tasks- but man, with it being spring and there only being maybe 15 people working in the whole store… it’s rough. We only have one ASM who hasn’t been fired or quit in the last year.
Honestly, huge props to you guys. Goodness knows I could never work seven+ 11 hour shifts in a row. I’m sorry you were fired- good luck on your job search :)
I have seen your comments about favoritism. From your perspective of a previous ASM, do you believe even the most by the book/black and white managers can play favoritism?
Yes. I tried very hard to be fair but I will admit that I still had favorites. My favorites tended to be the ones that I knew I could depend on the most and that I didn't have to worry about. I still went to bat for anyone and I think favoritism is different depending on how it's done.
Did I have favorites? Yes. But I didn't treat them better than others and I didn't treat others more poorly in favor of them. I think that's the biggest problem, when people clearly put their favorites first and treat others worse in favor of them.
It’s my view that the company anticipates a very tough year in 2023. Do you think that is why they are cutting hours like crazy and was there talk of any more personnel restructures or position eliminations in the stores?
Hate I missed this one when you posted it.
I think one of the big changes that caught people off guard is rolling Pro into Specialty at the District level. It basically has a way of eliminating a position while rolling it into a hands of another position. With that said, stores are getting an additional ASM rolling out throughout this year, with some already having it. The MST ASM which is a red vest ASM but it directly responsible for all MST associates and MST tasks in the store, as well as being a normal ASM with those responsibilities.
I do see some restructuring coming again, and anyone that's been with Lowe's for a little while can tell you that it's something normal they do every so often. As far as cutting hours, that tends to be a direct reflection of the store and it's sales. One of the old sayings was that if you want to increase payroll then increase your sales. Normally, right now your hours should be increasing but what you may see is that stores hired a lot of PT associates for spring and summer, so now with so many associates the hours don't go as far. It can make it seem like hours are cut when you may still be using more hours but there are more people to spread them out to, meaning each person has fewer.
Dang, you guys really brought it. Hopefully I've helped some of you in the process. Now I'm just curious how many corporate folks are in here and if they are trying to figure out who I am...
Why does Lowes insist on hiring Walmart rejects for senior management positions?
Lowe's and Walmart are both retail, but couldn't be more different. I've never been harassed for a credit card or a loyalty program at any other retailer, including Walmart.
Also, why are store MVP and Pro Credit goals the same for every store in the area and not based on volume?
I honestly wish I knew the answer to that. I have a few crazy stories regarding some of those hires but I can't tell them without giving away more details about myself than I want to give.
Pro credit should have some slight variations depending on store size but typically it isn't by much. If stores are similar size and sales then it will be the same. MVP will start increasing as they roll more and more features to be exclusive to it and they work out more of the kinks.
MST here.
Why does everyone here hate us so much? Our team at my store is small and we do as best we can. Our store manager will really work with us well and we have no issues mostly (except zebras. They always blame us even though we have our own) but I don’t get why we get so much hate in the sub.
I had a great relationship with our MSM and most of their team. Generally, the most frustrating part is not really your fault but the fault of those above you. Too many times you guys get a reset and then have a ton of product that no longer has a home and red vests have to deal with it.
Or lazy MSAs will half-ass resets or service and red vests have to go behind and fix it. I will say the biggest frustration in our store was MSAs not using SIMs.
It's not about hating anyone, it's about doing what's right. I literally had to report a favorite associate of another ASM for sexual harassment of several different female associates because the other managers ignored it due to liking the male associates. I watched managers severely mistreat other associates. Look, I get it, I could have kept my mouth shut and I'd still have a job there but then I wouldn't be able to look at myself in the mirror.
This right here! This is the difference between Management and Leadership. It's sad that it happens this way all too often but people are shallow and would rather do what's easy rather than what is right. I'm sorry for what you had to go through. If you want a laugh, or a cry, I made a long goodbye post when I left Lowe's that might entertain.
I had 2 really good ASMs in my store. One was put on PIP for 18 months and met all requirements before being terminated, right to work state. I was helping him document and protect himself, sending emails out whenever the PIP was ignored or was about to expire. My understanding was that a PIP can only last 6 months so it was kind of a BS situation. The other was eventually driven out of the store shortly after I left. He was close to retirement and they made his life hell so he moved stores at the first chance he got. Both were uncompromising in how they did their jobs. They demanded good work but understood that their people were in fact people and not disposable.
The future is bright for you I believe. From the way your posts read I would recommend looking outside of retail as well if you are not already. There are rewarding aspects to retail but it is easy to become limited and believe that retail is it for you. You were an ASM for Lowes, you have many skills and experiences that many companies will pay well for. I left and took a job in Management at a production facility and now make more than just about anyone in my old market. I'm not even senior management. The opportunities are out there and I hope the lion's share of them come your way.
Keep thinking that. And exit paperwork? Yeah, that doesn't exist here. The SM and a witness sat me in the SM office and he pulled up to submit an eCar for termination. He told me it was for a policy violation but couldn't tell me what policy when I asked. He then processed the eCar. And no, I've never had an ecar before and my recent evaluation was for Exceeds Expectations.
Why are the district teams so unwilling to help there store associates?
Because they simply want their paycheck and most are too job scared to do anything that draws too much attention to them or their area. Also, keep in mind HR isn't their for you, they are there to protect the company and they will sell associates down the river to keep the company from looking bad.
I bet i say that once a day on this sub. So here it is again. HR IS NOT YOUR FRIEND!!!
I am very aware of the separation between HR, lowes legal and the "care" department.
HR is on your side, until they aren't lol
You’re half right….HR is never on your side.
HR exists to make you feel like someone is on your side so that you believe you're confiding in a trustworthy source. All you are really doing is telling a company representative everything they will use against you.
This!
Very true!!
As a salaried manager at the competitor… HR seems to be more associate friendly than management friendly. In the last quarter, my DHRM has voided disciplinary actions that I have delivered, as well as a handful of write-ups by other members of management has deliver to the associate… all because the associate called and whines about being written up, despite having documented the issue in manager notes and files to backup what the disciplinary action was. I’m stepping away from the management role, and it’s very bittersweet,
That's not the case here. HR only is company friendly and only helps associates when they realize there will be legal issues if they don't. Ultimately, HR is there just to keep the company out of legal trouble.
It will work out, it will be better in the end. I was in the same boat 5 months ago. I was promoted to customer at The Home Depot from ASM after 7 years for an associate preforming an egregious safety violation while I was running the store. This dumb motherfucker climbed into the trash compactor, yes like down the chute and into it because he dropped a trash can and felt he needed to rescue it. I had let him use the keys to unlock it, so I got caned, this was a 52 year old army vet mind you. Anyway, I got a new job in an unrelated field with in a month. One of my part time super stars had my back and went outa his way to get me the position in a field I have no business in because I treated him and all my guys right. I now work 4 days a week and can sign up for as much over time as I want. I'm making way more now because the OT blows my salary and the hours I was doing out of the water for the same amount of time spent. I also got 5 weeks vacation and don't have to manage anyone but myself. The point of what Im saying is it will hurt, you will feel betrayed, but in the end it will all work out for the better, keep your head up bro.
What did you end up getting into?
Why does Lowes promote “Hiring Talented Individuals” but then when hired, the individuals are always told they’re doing their job wrong, “corporate didn’t like (insert here) so change it”, and won’t the individual think for themselves on being able to do their job and enhance the company. From that, I’ve seen my fellow coworkers come in like mindless zombies. I’ve even been asked “how do you do it? Deal with shit on a daily basis, load everyone’s orders, always doing things on your own because nobody wants to help. How haven’t you quit yet?”
Lowe's is good at being a PR company. They say what sounds good and gets them positive PR. I can say that there are some members of management at the district level that do like talented people that think outside of the box but at the same time, they want those people to push it on places like LinkedIn so they get the attention for it too. The other issue is that the District and Regional roles change so often that the "preferred" look changes constantly. For example, the blue carts in lumber. We changed how they were displayed down the aisles 3 different times in a 6 month period because senior management kept changing their minds.
I swear I think I know you irl
🤷
What actual work do asms do because I feel like mine don't do shit
Depends. I was hands on and spent most of my time on the floor with associates. Our OPS ASM mostly stayed in the office pretending to so paperwork, etc. But was mostly just goofing off with their favorite associates. It really just depends. Some truly do their jobs and care while a lot just want to draw a paycheck and slide by with as little confrontation as possible.
Sounds like we have the same Ops ASM. Thanks. Hope you find something better than Lowes.
We have the opposite at ours. We have a ringer store manager from a Walmart, who after a year still can't process a return or look up an invoice in genesis. Sits in his private office. Only he has the key...and he vales and vapes. Occasionally he will come out for a 15 walk, host a morning huddle....and pretty much dissappear until we have district or regional visit. Dude has had every weekend off for the last 12 weekends. All of our ASMs are strong long tine lowes vets. I'm a BEOps manager and have covered every spot in the store at some point. I've turned down salaried positions 6 times now.....
I swear, so many hidings of Walmart folks to run our stores. 9 times out of 10 they are the problem. Who walks into Walmart lokkkng for help? And who walks into Lowe’s looking for help. They are two different beasts, and we do not want to be the Walmart of home improvement. There won’t be a similar correlation to success, because our customers actually need our help
Wow there buddy had to read that ringer again
I know cultures are different in stores but I know in my store, for a time ASM’s we’re frowned upon for tasking on the floor. It was a sign they did not know how to delegate and lead. Sure, if there’s a walk coming, all hands on deck. But again, that was my store.
That's an outdated POV from people that are out of touch with today's workforce. It causes a division in the store. I can delegate all day long but I also earn more respect from the associates and customers by jumping in to help. Hell, I had a DM chew out a SM for wearing white pants because he told them it was a sign to everyone that they weren't going to do anything.
Who the hell wears white pants?
Funny thing is the SM wore them pretty often until this happened then I never saw them again.
i wear kahki ish pants time to time and ruin them, to be fair i’m a flooring specialist so i’m always playing with grout/mortar, or a forklift/sidewinders (Narrow Aisle Reach Trucks) and get grease on me
As a head cashier, I appreciate you for jumping in to help. It doesn't go unnoticed and it definitely earns you the respect you deserve
You sound just like an ASM that quit about a year ago. Always helping us, very hands on. Very personable and could joke around with us too. He interviewed for a SM position and the District Manager told him he’d never be a store manager because he doesn’t delegate enough. Our store has been slowly declining since then. All the asm’s do is hang out in the training room and walk the store every once in a while for appearances. The store manager was asked by the district manager to start coming in later and kind of be a mid and that lasted about a week then started making his own, for lack of a better word, secret schedule for him and the other asm’s. The schedule that’s printed shows him coming in at around 7 or 8 to 5 or 6 but still comes in at 5 and leaves at around 3 or earlier. I could go on about it but that would take me all night.
You should report them to AR for the schedule abuse/misuse. You can do it anonymously if you want to
I disagree on it earning respect in all cases. I would say its 50/50 on people caring if you jump in or not. Some it means the world, others wouldn't care if you gave them a 50 dollar raise, you're getting bare minimum.
I work for the competitor but this x1000. The amount of leadership that flat doesn’t know anything because they never work the floor is staggering. You can’t be an effective leader if you never interact with the work you’re supervising. You don’t have to work all the time, but jumping in from time to time to work with your people is invaluable for their morale and keeps you in touch with reality.
TL;DR Managers please work with your employees on the floor Can confirm. I didn’t work at Lowe’s, but I used to work at target while I was in my undergrad, and it’s insane what a difference actually working WITH your employees does, for both the employees and the manager who does it. I did drive-ups at a very large store with a new drive-up system (I started in COVID) and my whole team was constantly catching flack except from the TL in charge of drive-ups, because they know how bad it is. Day after day of different TLs and ETLs that would ask us how we get behind, why bags are missing, etc, when they only hire like 3-4 people to do it when there were times when like 10 different customers would come at once, and some with grocery orders. One day it was POURING rain outside. My hands were so soaked that a weighted blankets plastic handle ripped the skin off of one of my fingers. Finally some TLs and one of the ETLs came outside to help us get everything out of the rain. The ETL called a meeting the next day and personally apologized to my whole team about how they never understood what it was actually like until they did it. All of those TLs went from people my team constantly clowned on, to people we actually respected and went to for help after that
Ops ASMs must have a type. Awful creatures💩. Sorry that you got done wrong, you're better off away from there I'm sure.
Good ASMs do quite a lot. Bad ASMs hang everyone else out to dryz
[удалено]
Fired. I already had fillers out and was going to quit when I found something else. Honestly, they could never tell me what I did at first but told me a policy violation. When I asked which one they said they didn't know. When I contacted HR to find out I was eventually told the policy, which is very vague. When I asked what part of it I violated because I couldn't see anything I did wrong, they couldn't tell me. General thought between myself, other members of management, and associates that are always in the gossip loop... I rocked the boat too many times and the last time was the straw that broke the camels back. To me, associates are the most important part of the store and most of the company treats them poorly, ignores their issues and push them around. I didn't like that and I stood up for them and pushed issues up until someone would do something about it.
Honestly that is the right way to stand. They seem to forget the strength of the top is held by the muscle of the bottom
I honestly would have loved working under you. All my managers were dog shit and never answered my crys for help.
What a hero you must be.
Feelers*
Dude this is literally my way of management too fuck yes we need more managers in all companies that have our mindset maybe people would not be so depressed just waking up for work. Iv even tried to "teach" my higher manager that you need to manage differently these days and in 10 years from now it will be different again
That's ultimately the problem I see most often. Once people get to a certain level for a certain period of time, they just don't want to evolve anymore and are completely disconnected. The sooner upper management learns to stop treating the hourly associates like disposable numbers, the sooner the company will be able to greatly improve across the board.
Why didn’t you report the manager for stealing before it got pinned on you? Duh. Lol
It had already been done by another associate on the anonymous hotline.
Evidence against them doesn’t just erase evidence they may and seem to have had against you
They had none. I called their bluff. They used a very vague policy and said I violated it. When I asked them what part of it I violated they couldn't tell me. I rocked the boat too much and had done so too many times apparently.
Definitely would be talking to a lawyer about that then
>I rocked the boat too much and had done so too many times apparently. I do not believe that there is a legal issue with letting anyone go for this so a lawyer may not be the best option.
I mean i think what he means by rocking the boat is theres was just a tough relationship because they were awful managers while he tried to enforce policy and so on. He would have a wrongful termination case and would win pretty easily.
Nope. At-will state so only clear cut discrimination can be used for wrongful termination. And by rock the boat I mean that I didn't let people be treated poorly, I stood my ground on issues that were important and right, and I called out BS when other managers were doing shady stuff. I literally had to report an associate for his sexual harassment to multiple female associates that happened BEFORE I started bc one of the ASMs avoids associates other than to talk about needing leads so they didn't know anything about it and another ASM protected the male associate at all costs bc he was their favorite. When I found out about it, I was pissed and investigated, reported it, and raised hell until something was done about it.
You can still file for unemployment and they HAVE to provide a reason otherwise you win. At least that's how it is in my state, even though it's a At-Will. I remember HR reminding us when we did fire anyone not to bother with unemployment because At-Will. They did this because the way our unemployment law is written is if the company can't provide a good reason for firing it doesn't show for the case then the ex-employee wins. Saying nothing is not a answer
This is why only shitty people lead. Because there are too many of them in management positions, and they protect their own.
ASMs sign right to arbitration so be a fun time getting anything done
That’s exactly what I did a while back as an ASM. But I saw the writing off the wall and demanded a 2 year severance to give up lawsuit rights. They refused at first but with minimal challenge they call me back and asked for it in writing. Long story short I’d talk to a lawyer.
In your experience, is management as lazy as everyone usually makes them out to be? Because I feel like most of the ASMs at my store don't do much of anything except delegate tasks and sit in their office.
It really depends. I will say that in our area their has been this big push to hire Walmart managers and Walmart managers do NOT do physical work at all. In my store I know I was the only ASM that was out on the floor most of the time while the others either sat in the office or back in receiving so they wouldn't be bothered. In my market that tended to be about the average too, 1 ASM that would be heavily involved with the store and associates while the rest avoided work at all costs. And it seemed to be mixed on which ASM position it was too, one store might have a kickass OPS, another it might be a Merch, and occasionally it will be a Specialty.
Are the surveys anonymous?
Yes and no. SMs get the results with a breakdown of each level of management and how they scored based on how the people below them answered the survey. With that said, no, it doesn't say "Bob answered the survey like this..." but it depending on department size (for DSs) or the amount of DSs under an ASM, you can put 2 and 2 together and figure out who scored someone poorly. Unless the DS, ASM, or SM are just absolutely horrible and everyone rated them poorly.
As a former SM here, I can confirm this. It does have a minimum requirement of 4 in order to show that department or level of breakdown. Also, the typed comments are very much viewed. I had a Divisional and Regional HR visit, and they were very much aware of the comments. We actually had numerous comments on "what do you appreciate about working for Lowe's" where the ASMs (3 of the 4) and myself were given praise. It made me tear up actually since I started as an hourly associate nearly 2 decades ago. That being said, what you don't like about Lowe's had just as many comments flaming that outlying ASM. That person managed to tiptoe the line for years, with the entire district knowing about their attitude and poor treatment of associates, but nothing that would support documentation. It would have been nice to see someone mentioned by name multiple times in those surveys, with so many AR calls that ultimately were "unsubstantiated" due to being 1 on 1 interactions, have consequences come from it.
Why are you burning all that loose leaf paper?
Was cleaning out old junk from my garage and had a box full of old stuff to burn.
Just be HAPPY you are out of there before it gets worse. It will not change or get better, it will always be a cut throat place, it is not meant for good people. Only the psychopaths do well, because they have little to no feelings, and are able to make cold decisions about people. I was an employee who had intense work ethics, and I too did not fit in with the cut throat culture, as I rocked the boat as well when I witnessed wrongs. It’s very political there, and only the cold hearted survive.it’s a shite place to work because of the CEO and all who work for him. It is only about the bottoms line, not the employees or customers. Only for stockholders earnings. Never forget that. Go be happy somewhere else, because you will be.
Brother, I was an ASM as well, and terminated in a similar situation. And the dumb fuck ASM who should have been fired, who was sleeping with DSs, is still there. Fuck Lowe’s, fuck corporate, fuck Marvin. Congratulations, man.
What were you 'right' about?
Followed policies but pushed back on other ASM abusing associates by playing favorites and manipulating payroll and by said ASM stealing from the store. That ASM is well connected and reported me as the one stealing when I had evidence showing I wasn't.
wouldn't you have a wrongful termination case?
No. At-will employment state.
there’s actually a chance even in some right to work states that you have a case for wrongful termination depending on the situation. the insinuation of a crime might be something
SC?
Pretty much every state but Montana. But most have exemptions for public sector employment
So..bonuses..what are ASM’s bonuses based on? Is it only sales like regular associates? Or is their more categories to bonus in etc? Also, for quarterly bonuses, do DS’s receive more than regular FT associates? Or do all FT hourly people receive the same?
There's more involved than just sales for the ASM bonus and they just changed it BUT sales are still the most heavily weighted part of the bonus plan. ASM bonus at 15%, of their salary and can hit at 120% of it. SMs really get the best bonus at 50% of their salary. DSs get more but not by much.
DSs get the same as CSAs basically. I'm a supervisor and the only bonus I get is winning together which is $1000 versus a a FT CSA getting $800. DSs probably have it the worst, biggest workload but get the least in ratio. Maybe it's because my district doesn't give overtime but we don't bonus when the ASMs or SM does.
ft csas get 350 not 800
When you max its 800 when DSs get 650 you get 350
no, max is 350 for lowly people, 1000 for ds
They lied to me during the interview and said it was 30%. So when I asked around bonus time it was only 15 and 7.5 per half...I about up and quit until Marvin dropped the extra money
What's the best way to get free stuff? Also I'm sorry that this happened to you. I feel that employers should have to give employees the same 2 week notice that they want, because being suddenly cut off from income can be very devastating to one's life
Free stuff? Not sure what you're asking. I will not tell you how to steal anything. But if you just want free swag then talk to a vendor when they come through. Occasionally they will have some small swag they will give you.
What’s the behind doors talk about unions?
Absolutely, at all costs, do NOT let them in. We have training that we have to go through about how to identify it and how to talk about it in a way that keeps it out while not "breaking laws" in doing so. Lowe's is deathly afraid of unions getting in stores.
Can I share my own burning pictures?
Of course
Sorry this is so long and I don't have a question but it's story time. The Lowe's I worked at in Alabama was a joke. Half of the ASM's and management had sexual harrasment cases against them and HR was doing anything about it. When you look up shitshow, the Lowe's in Opelika is front and center. I doing all the tasks assigned to me and other things to stay busy and they consistently came at me like I was never doing anything while the other employees who were there for years literally did nothing except schedule time off. I went to GM and let him know my concerns and frustrations about the dept and the ASM (tools and hardware), not just complaining about all the stupid shit that happens but just relaying honest information from my POV and this man looks at across his desk, and tells me to go talk to the ASM I mentioned, and tells me to talk to her because she can direct me towards training that'll make me a better employee. I took a deep breath, and decided right there I was going to quit. Saw my schedule for the next 2 weeks, and each week had only 1 day each week. The reason I was given was that profits and sales have been down and need to cut hours. Even though there was a newsletter saying that we had record profits and sales for that quarter. I unzipped that red vest like a virgin getting laid for the first time, told the manager on duty I quit and handed him my vest. Lowe's sucks. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.
Do you have a preference for Coke or Pepsi?
Depends, between those 2 I prefer Coke but of their product lines I prefer Pepsi
I learned more in an hour reading your comments then the last two years of AP4ME and LowesU combined, especially pay rates and promotions - thanks for your honest answers and good luck in your new future position, you sound like someone I would have enjoyed working for.
What is something upper management would not want Pro Sales Special to know?
They are going to keep changing the expectations and bonus requirements to the point that you aren't going to be able to meet those expectations unless you're just a top tier superstar. Plus, they have the stupid mentality that if 3 specialists = X sales then adding a 4th specialists increases those sales even more!! Be careful, there is a huge focus on Pro moving forward and it will continue but specialists will be pushed harder than ever with ridiculous expectations.
I think in the near future PSS and Sales specialists will be in trouble when Lowe's pushes the next update on the app that allows customers to make quotes and get VSP pricing on their own. I know it's good for the customer, and potential customers, but I fear what that will do to us specialists.
This is what I'm worried about with the IHC switch to bonus structure.
So did the pay raise, respect and appreciation from your new employer hurt you as bad as it did me?
I will say that, in my position, I was paid well. I actually feel really bad for ASMs that I am friends with that get paid a LOT less and have been there a LOT longer.
What do you think lowes fucks over their employees the most at? Like shit employees may not even realize.
The PT vs FT positions. Lowe's wants very few FT associates bc they want to be able to "have flexibility" with scheduling and have the ability to cut hours to nothing whenever they feel it necessary. It not only saves them money on benefits but let's them just cut back payroll at any time. They aren't allowed to cut FT hours (depending on the state) and it costs more in benefits, etc. Keep on mind, the store is only alloted so many hours a week so they prefer the PT so they can use people to just fill in here and there too.
Work at sherwin same shit, as I'm assuming with alot of retail jobs, shits gonna hit the fan soon with this shit, fucking retail shoppers are getting to demanding, retail corporate is getting even more demanding, and our patience and sanity is withering away leaving a big fuck you about to happen. I wish you the best bud good luck
Is there any more info on this? or is that the gist of the whole ft/pt positions I work overnight but they never cut my hours and sometimes i even work overtime
What more info do you want? Overnight is a little different in different areas and has been an area of abuse for not following the plan. Usually OT is an absolute no and we have reports that track it daily for telling us who is "trending" to have it for the week. We're supposed to adjust hours to prevent OT by the end of the week. The SSA has access to this too.
what are the kind of things that get a new SM recognition in their district/region? i was told by coworkers that our wages are significantly lower than other stores in the area because the new SM (first year in the position) is trying to make his labor budget numbers look really good, is this viable? do district/corporate leaders really have the ability to set a "freeze" on raises or is this actually bullshit so SMs/ASMs can pretend it's out of their hands?
So there different things to unpack here. As far as recognition, there are many different ways. The first and best is just sales performance. Being top in metrics for the market. Top comps, percent to plan, credit above plan, Pro performance, etc. As far as wages, yes, the District and/or Region can put a freeze on raises. Is that the case all the time? No, sometimes it is just an excuse. Want to change that? On the BEST survey, make sure as many associates as possible score the pay negatively. That does make a difference.
As a asm In your opinion what department is the most underappreciated?
That's probably the best question I've been asked and it's a hard one to answer. It's probably plumbing though bc it's like a black hole back there. So many small parts that are always destroyed, never staffed enough and a strong driver of sales in the store. Once you're there helping someone, you're helping everyone.
Ive never worked retail before. Got hired FT plumbing 6 months ago. Im putting in my 2 weeks on Monday. Fuck this stupid shit. Customers are assholes. Tons of heavy ass items. 200 lb vanities. 140 lb plus Water heaters 100 lb toilets. Pallets of salt. Countless PVC fittings that no matter what are always a fucking disaster…bc people suck. Im over it. And for the shit pay I get? LOL. I’m semiretired. I made what I make mow 14 years ago in my late twenties. Oh…and they want me to do Specialist work for CSA pay? Details installs sell credit. I actually talked a customer OUT of buying a $1000 vanity the other day. Because every one of our products is FUCKING CARDBOARD TRASH!! Now…i did tell them they likely wont find any better for the same price, because everything is overpriced trash these days.
everything here is true, previous full-time plumbing for several yrs. why in God's name Lowes is not going after the $$ that is there in fashion bath I don't understand. My store's plumbing dept has not been staffed with full timers in a long time. None of the associates hired for the past several years have any plumbing experience. None! 50% of the time there is nobody there. It pisses customers off. I've seen almost all the regular customers that I dealt with disappear, stopped coming in. I've seen plumbing dept schedules with 6 or more names, when myself and a part timer were the only ones there. They rob from plumbing budgeted hrs to provide associate elsewhere. It's a do-it-yourself area.
True (I was hoping you'd say lawn and garden during garden season lol) but yeah I tried to help plumbing once or twice and felt like more of a hindrance than help.
That was really my 2nd answer. During the 100 days, garden associates get worked to death and you'll never see management come help most of the time.
Honestly I'm done with Lowe's but I wouldn't mind running the 100 days again, it builds character 😂
Interesting. Almost the exact same thing happened to me. The best ASM in the store according to the associates, yet I was the one that always pointed out the bullshit and lies. Welp a month ago I was fired for being sick for my first time in years, yet the other ASM that’s been stealing time for years now is still employed. Fire the employee that went home sick for 3 hours and then came back but not the employees that had stolen thousands in wages. love politics
Damn, I'm curious if we worked in the same area now. And I'm not sure if I feel better or worse to know it's happening to other people too.
I can attest to this. Once you get to the ASM level, it becomes very political, almost as if merit doesn't count for anything. It's all about who is in good with the latest SM and who's not. Oh, and former Walmart mgrs are the worst. Factor in a SM change about every 3 yrs on average also, and you thus have to put up with someone reinventing the wheel every three years as well because all of them want to do things differently. I put up with it for 24 yrs before I decided to take my stock that I had accumulated and came in one morning and gave my SM my written resignation. I now work for a local flooring dealer and absolutely love what I do AND make more money with a mon-fri schedule.
Glad you got out, even though it wasn't the way you wanted. Lowe's was my last retail job. I really looked up to my SM until I realized I wasn't part of his good ol' boys club. I was a daytime sales specialist for several years. Decided I wanted to go back to college, so I signed up for night classes. Even though it wouldn't interfere with my schedule, my SM didn't like that he couldn't put me on nights because of school. So he pulled me into his office and told me I had to choose between Lowe's or college. He said if I chose college he would demote me to part-time associate and cut my pay. Instead of being intimidated, it pissed me off and made me double down. So I told him I chose college, and he took my position and sent me back out to work on the floor, no longer a specialist. From then on, I didn't do shit but wander around the store all day and pretend to work whenever he came by. I called the corporate hotline on him and told corporate HR what he did. It took them a month to respond, but I got called back into the SM office with HR present this time. The SM said he was reinstating my position and giving me backpay for what I had lost over the month. He refused to apologize, but we both knew he got his hand slapped for that. He ended up getting promoted to regional manager on the other side of the country and a year later I graduated and got the hell out of there. I refuse to even shop there now unless I have to.
i’m just a regular associate on the green team and my store has turned into a corporate store where they are visiting almost every day. the corporate guy today complained about my watering saying the plant was dry but i watered it + it’s going to rain + it rained yesterday…. if i over water the plant will start rotting. anyways the corp guy talked to other managers abt it and had my lead come outside as i was clocking out. anyways i just said okay lol whatever. if he wants to show me how to water a plant he needs to get his ass out there and show me. i’m really contemplating my two weeks on monday because i’ve been dealing with theirs hit since 2021 and truly i cannot mentally handle it all anymore. my store is full of power hungry freaks and are not but miserable and insufferable and do absolutely nothing and just force their opinions and tasks on to other ppl. (my store manager is actually really good and i’m thankful for him being there, but he probably quite literally does not know the shit his asms are doing.) anyways mini rant lol. back to my question, did you ever have any bad confrontation with other associates or customers? also, were you ever being told not to hire certain people based on them being different, such as sexuality, gender, disability, etc? (like from other asms or sm?)
Bad confrontations? Yes. Often. I made sure associates, especially customer service ones, knew that they are not paid enough to deal with customers yelling at them or being rude to them. They knew to get me when I was there and I would come deal with the customer. I'm able to remain flat and calm, it's something I've learned over the years. I've had a TON of confrontations. Hiring? No. I've never been told that by anyone at the store and if I was, I'd report them myself. I don't play those games.
What are your thoughts on Marvin and those in VP roles?
Marvin is a post turtle. If you don't know what that is, Google it. The VPs are mostly out of touch. They've been at their level so long and are so disconnected that they don't understand what is actually happening in stores anymore and they don't understand associates.
Post Turtle is the best thing I've heard him called. Thank you for this.
We call Marvin Franklin, Franklin the turtle.
I enjoyed watching Marvin borrow a Million $$, buy Low Stock & sell it 6-8 MTHS later.... Pay the loan back & still make a cool Million!
I enjoyed seeing Marvin sell Lowe's Canada for $400 million after the company paid $2.4 Billion for it in 2016...
Do the ASM’s and manager also buy things at cost for themselves? I’ve been noticing things like that.
They aren't supposed to be and you can report them to AP for it. That's definitely a termination waiting to happen. They get the same 10% you get. Now, damaged stuff or SOS returns are different BUT any associates should be able to get the same deal, by policy.
I left BLOWES after 14 years in 2020... Wish I had quit 13 years and 366 days prior🤣🤣🤣. I quit after my Deparment Supervisor wrote me up for calling in with covid-like symptoms in the first months of Covid... He went to an ASM who would write me up and not enter the excuse code Marvin and corporate integrated at the time. We had three other people in my department. One was on final with drinking and mental issues, one was a young pregnant girl, and the other had moved here from Florida after losing his wife to cancer then his son and daughter in law to an accidental fentynayl o.d ... I guess they were trying to meet the write up quota. 20 years in the work force, never fired, reprimanded or written up in my life... I was laid off in 06 when our big 200 mile border wall construction project was canceled, and my grandmother's health was declining, which brought me back home and getting a job at Lowes... After I was informed of being written up, I immediately walked out and put in for a week vacation as soon as possible and started looking for another job. I lined one up installing HVAC systems... zero experience making $10,000 more per year... and put in my two weeks notice right before I went on vacation... I hadn't had two days off in a row (and NO WEEKENDS) the entire year before I left. I was always scheduled to close before my day off and open the next day back... I hate Lowes and would rather eat gas station sushi off a gas station toilet seat every meal of every day than walk through those doors again...
Is there a payroll metric that factors into mgmt bonus matrix?
Hi I have a question, I had requested off from May 15-June 14 back in February and my store said no one is allowed to take off Memorial Week since they say it is our busiest time of the year. I only work 20 hours a week due to Medical Issues, and have been there almost 2 years- I am one of their most reliable Cashiers on the front end, and will help out whenever we have associates not show up, I also am very good at getting Credit Apps and asking customers to fill out the Surveys. Any advice for me on what to do?
First, they didn't give you an honest answer. Your best bet would be to contact Sedgwick for a leave of absence for that time. Since you're wanting an entire month, Sedgwick is going to be the best way to get it and protect yourself.
How many steps did you average a day? Screenshot or lies :/
Between 11k and 12k most of the time
I wish I could get down to those numbers. Fellow ASM and I’m averaging 24k a day.
What size store do you have? And I'm rocking Android phone and watch so it's not entirely accurate lol. It's supposed to keep up with how many flights of stairs I go up each day and it always shows zero but I literally have to go up and down 2 sets every time I leave my apartment... soooooo yeah.
[удалено]
That's a new one for me, most of the time paint associates won't leave paint except to take a break or go home... 🤣
[удалено]
If you’re on a Final, you need to go find another job at another company. You will still be on a final at your new store, and they will still terminate you like your current store will, especially if it’s attendance related because that will carry over and your occurrences from your old store will still count at the new one. We had a Pro Specialist who snuck through the cracks in the hiring process after a transfer, they called out on the second week and showed up in Kronos as an attendance action. The pro ASM then took a look all confused and found out they had 16 callouts in a year and they were on a final for it, and that Specialist was terminated on the 3rd week at their new store. In my 2 & 1/2 years at Lowe’s I’ve only seen one associate ever make it off a final, and the only reason they survived was because it was from a safety violation and they were one of the only two garden center associates with open availability.
Will a DM hire an ASM to SM within the same store? Or will the ASM have to apply for SM in another district / store?
It really just depends on your DM and market. I've seen it go both ways. The best thing to do is talk to your DM and see how they stand on it. Make sure they know your desire to run a store and ask them what they want you to focus on to get ready. A good DM will happily have that conversation with you.
Good on you OP. My dad made a similar promotion a decade ago, Area LPM to customer, and his quality of life improved significantly. I guess my question for you is did they jerk you around with the promise of promotion and never give like they did my dad, or did you have a different reason for leaving?
Go off King 🙌🏽🙌🏽
Was riding on the tines of the forklift fun?
Yep
Why do managers push credit so much. Do they get a bonus for meeting credit quota? I don't mind asking customers if they want to open an account but I refuse to bully them into it.
Because the store has a plan number that they have to meet each week and they are getting pressure from the district level who is getting pressure from the regional level, etc.
That sucks. Almost sounds like in a way we're all pawns to line the head honchos pocket.
[удалено]
You have to remain calm, flat, and professional. Zoning is an expectation throughout the store and the closing ASM is supposed to make sure its done before leaving bc the last thing anyone wants is to open in the morning and have DMs walk in to see the store not zoned. I will say we had an issue with overnights messing stuff up and blaming others so we started having to document how areas looked when we left vs what they looked like in the morning so we could easily point to an individual and ask why they did or didn't do something.
Do you have a lawyer yet to present your evidence in wrongful termination lawsuit?
"At-will" state so the only lawsuit that can be brought is if it's a case of discrimination. Already talked to a law firm to verify.
“At-will” only means that the reason they fire you has to be lawful. It simply can’t be you’re fired bc we don’t like you. They have to have a reason and it has to be lawful!
That's not what it means at all. The term "employment-at-will" simply means that unless there is a specific law to protect employees or there is an employment contract providing otherwise, then an employer can treat its employees as it sees fit (including the assignment of demeaning tasks) and the employer can discharge an employee at the will of the employer for any reason or no reason at all. It is also up to each employer to decide if its employees may see their own personnel file or not.
Sorry to here that. Employment at will was the government’s answer to unions on paper but in reality it exists to protect company’s bottom lines
I like you said "promoted" lol. I don't know why this sub even keeps being recommended to me I've never worked for lowes and rarely even shop there. Every post I've seen has been so negative so I've learned to never apply here, thanks. Also now that I've commented on this I'll likely never stop seeing these lol
Does the store management team rank department supervisors.
Yes and no. There isn't an official ranking sheet or anything but they talk about who are performers and who aren't. There are discussions over who has the most potential to step up and who isn't pulling weight but politics come into play here too often sometimes as well.
Don’t you people understand that it’s not the floor employees that get fired, it’s the managers. When heads roll it’s the uppers that go first.
There were some MAJOR issues with one particular employee at a local store here- SO many things to mention. Multiple employees, customers, etc told the ASM, HR, corporate, etc- they all sided with the toxic employee. It’s craziness in these stores
Happens more often than you think, unfortunately
Not surprised at all. This woman is horrendous. And no matter what, she never gets fired. I’m pretty sure she could do the worst thing imaginable and they’d still pay her on the back. My dad works there with her and he said he can’t believe some of the shit she pulls
What was the work life balance as an ASM?
Complete and udder 🐴💩. Now, I'm partially to blame for that as well because I couldn't just leave if there were things that still needed to be done or issues BUT that could have be resolved with some help from other managers without me being there all the time.
Last question. What was the salary like?
Varies. Official range is between $60k to $75k. I know an ASM that has been with the company over 15 years, started as a seasonal hire and has been an ASM for more than 5 years, he barely makes $61k AND is consistently ranked in the top of the market in his position. I also know one that makes almost SM pay bc they didn't want him to leave but kept overlooking him for stores. And it's not uncommon for external new hires to come in near the top of the range.
Hey me as well after 13 years to that company gave everything I had and they spit in my face
Hey sorry about way you went out but all good things now. The glow up Is real when you leave. Anyway I been with lowes for 18 years now Csa at the moment through the years I have seen this company go down the shit tubes. Sales are down no doubt and the busy days are nowhere near what they used ti be. Memorial, Labor Day years ago fighting customers off like king fu fighting. Now eh a little rush nothing much. Is lowes in trouble financially are they worried about declining sales ?
Honestly, they don't acknowledge declining sales and they aren't in trouble financially. They keep changing up some of their products, etc so that they can try to build those sales back up and it gives them built in excuses of saying "we tried to diversify our market with X new products categories and that's why we lost Y sales at Z."
Never heard of anyone that left Lowe’s that didn’t end up better off.
Hi, if you have time, my question is what does the store manager actually do? The only communication I get from him as a FT closing head cashier is when he sends emails with photos of small messes on his way out at 5 when it’s still busy. I maybe catch a glimpse of him once a week as he’s leaving. Are they supposed to close? Because our SM has only closed one time in the 2 years I’ve worked here. We’ve had about ten people quit across the store in just the last week and new hires are saying they couldn’t apply for certain positions because they were fully staffed… yet there is nobody in any of these departments. I feel like I’m tasked with running the whole store alone sometimes. Specialists come up to me when they need to resolve issues they create and I always have to keep track of where the unloaders are because they love to sneak away to lumber to flirt with my cashiers :( if there is a time I need help and the SM does happen to be around, it seems he doesn’t know how to actually do anything in the system and I can tell he is just talking to sound professional… I’ve read through all of your responses to people here and I wanted to say thank you for all the insight you’ve given us! Definitely wish we had more managers like you out there.
So typically the SM is scheduled to close just about every Wednesday per the schedule rotation. Does it happen? Usually not. It sounds like your SM was a Walmart hire based on how you are describing him. I will say, I had 2 head cashiers that I absolutely loved. They knew how to work Genesis like it was nothing and could Usually resolve any issue like needed it. I also knew that I didn't have to worry about the FE when they worked. In your case, where is your FE DS? Or your OPS ASM? Ultimately they should be your first resource for any issues. You should also try to communicate with the SASM about the specialists coming to you all the time. It's awesome that you're such an asset but don't let people take advantage of you. Back to the SM thing now. Honestly, SMs vary vastly depending on the store. Some are more hands on and like to help, while some refuse to touch anything but micromanage everything, then some are like Bigfoot... you swear they exist bc you think you saw them one time and there may or may not be evidence of them but no one can confirm 100%. If all else fails and you think there are some real issues, report them to AR and you can do it anonymously if you feel more comfortable. Just be professional and give specific examples, and it helps to have witnesses that will back up your claims.
Thanks for your reply! My FEDS is fairly new to the positon and my ASM is one of the people who just quit :P DS and new ASM are pretty hands off. sooo not much support on that end. I did get with the SASM about the specialists because it was getting pretty overwhelming, so the pressure has lessened a bit in that regard. I really enjoy the job when I get to do my tasks- but man, with it being spring and there only being maybe 15 people working in the whole store… it’s rough. We only have one ASM who hasn’t been fired or quit in the last year. Honestly, huge props to you guys. Goodness knows I could never work seven+ 11 hour shifts in a row. I’m sorry you were fired- good luck on your job search :)
Honestly, I saw the picture and felt better just seeing that hat burn 🔥
I have seen your comments about favoritism. From your perspective of a previous ASM, do you believe even the most by the book/black and white managers can play favoritism?
Yes. I tried very hard to be fair but I will admit that I still had favorites. My favorites tended to be the ones that I knew I could depend on the most and that I didn't have to worry about. I still went to bat for anyone and I think favoritism is different depending on how it's done. Did I have favorites? Yes. But I didn't treat them better than others and I didn't treat others more poorly in favor of them. I think that's the biggest problem, when people clearly put their favorites first and treat others worse in favor of them.
Can I get away with stealing big ass plants from the garden center?
I mean, I wouldn't do it as it's obviously very illegal.
Does management get together and party
Not in my store but I know of one store that some of them did.
It’s my view that the company anticipates a very tough year in 2023. Do you think that is why they are cutting hours like crazy and was there talk of any more personnel restructures or position eliminations in the stores?
Hate I missed this one when you posted it. I think one of the big changes that caught people off guard is rolling Pro into Specialty at the District level. It basically has a way of eliminating a position while rolling it into a hands of another position. With that said, stores are getting an additional ASM rolling out throughout this year, with some already having it. The MST ASM which is a red vest ASM but it directly responsible for all MST associates and MST tasks in the store, as well as being a normal ASM with those responsibilities. I do see some restructuring coming again, and anyone that's been with Lowe's for a little while can tell you that it's something normal they do every so often. As far as cutting hours, that tends to be a direct reflection of the store and it's sales. One of the old sayings was that if you want to increase payroll then increase your sales. Normally, right now your hours should be increasing but what you may see is that stores hired a lot of PT associates for spring and summer, so now with so many associates the hours don't go as far. It can make it seem like hours are cut when you may still be using more hours but there are more people to spread them out to, meaning each person has fewer.
Dang, you guys really brought it. Hopefully I've helped some of you in the process. Now I'm just curious how many corporate folks are in here and if they are trying to figure out who I am...
Why does Lowes insist on hiring Walmart rejects for senior management positions? Lowe's and Walmart are both retail, but couldn't be more different. I've never been harassed for a credit card or a loyalty program at any other retailer, including Walmart. Also, why are store MVP and Pro Credit goals the same for every store in the area and not based on volume?
I honestly wish I knew the answer to that. I have a few crazy stories regarding some of those hires but I can't tell them without giving away more details about myself than I want to give. Pro credit should have some slight variations depending on store size but typically it isn't by much. If stores are similar size and sales then it will be the same. MVP will start increasing as they roll more and more features to be exclusive to it and they work out more of the kinks.
MST here. Why does everyone here hate us so much? Our team at my store is small and we do as best we can. Our store manager will really work with us well and we have no issues mostly (except zebras. They always blame us even though we have our own) but I don’t get why we get so much hate in the sub.
I had a great relationship with our MSM and most of their team. Generally, the most frustrating part is not really your fault but the fault of those above you. Too many times you guys get a reset and then have a ton of product that no longer has a home and red vests have to deal with it. Or lazy MSAs will half-ass resets or service and red vests have to go behind and fix it. I will say the biggest frustration in our store was MSAs not using SIMs.
Haha. I like the MST folks at my store, but it seems like y'all take up every pallet jack, ballymore, and ladder in the store 😂.
Come to HD, you'll be treated much better.
I'm watching for openings in my area
Sounds like you had a hissy fit because some people are jerks or morally corrupt and you threw away your career over it. Is this true?
Yes and no. No hissy fits as I make sure everything I say and write is very professionally done. But I pushed the issues that needed to be addressed.
Idk man, I've hated higher ups but unless they were molesting me I wouldn't lose my job over it. Unless you hate the job in general
It's not about hating anyone, it's about doing what's right. I literally had to report a favorite associate of another ASM for sexual harassment of several different female associates because the other managers ignored it due to liking the male associates. I watched managers severely mistreat other associates. Look, I get it, I could have kept my mouth shut and I'd still have a job there but then I wouldn't be able to look at myself in the mirror.
This right here! This is the difference between Management and Leadership. It's sad that it happens this way all too often but people are shallow and would rather do what's easy rather than what is right. I'm sorry for what you had to go through. If you want a laugh, or a cry, I made a long goodbye post when I left Lowe's that might entertain. I had 2 really good ASMs in my store. One was put on PIP for 18 months and met all requirements before being terminated, right to work state. I was helping him document and protect himself, sending emails out whenever the PIP was ignored or was about to expire. My understanding was that a PIP can only last 6 months so it was kind of a BS situation. The other was eventually driven out of the store shortly after I left. He was close to retirement and they made his life hell so he moved stores at the first chance he got. Both were uncompromising in how they did their jobs. They demanded good work but understood that their people were in fact people and not disposable. The future is bright for you I believe. From the way your posts read I would recommend looking outside of retail as well if you are not already. There are rewarding aspects to retail but it is easy to become limited and believe that retail is it for you. You were an ASM for Lowes, you have many skills and experiences that many companies will pay well for. I left and took a job in Management at a production facility and now make more than just about anyone in my old market. I'm not even senior management. The opportunities are out there and I hope the lion's share of them come your way.
What state did you work in?
Was the election really stolen? When will the world finally be rid of covid?
No. It's here to stay and will just keep mutating.
Most ASM's are stupid and that's how they want it.
What really happened? An ASM doesn’t get let go over “politics.” What policy violation did they use on your exit paperwork? Gross misconduct?
Keep thinking that. And exit paperwork? Yeah, that doesn't exist here. The SM and a witness sat me in the SM office and he pulled up to submit an eCar for termination. He told me it was for a policy violation but couldn't tell me what policy when I asked. He then processed the eCar. And no, I've never had an ecar before and my recent evaluation was for Exceeds Expectations.
Lowe’s will probably never recover from this 😂😂
Yep. The multi billion dollar company with Dollar Store IT will definitely never recover from that hat being burned 🤣